General Assembly.

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 212, 2 August 1878, Page 6

General Assembly.

fy. - . „., Parliament was opened by his Excellency the Governor at 2 p.m. on Friday last. • The place was crowded, and there wore about 250 ladies present. About seventeen members of tho Council took their seats, including the newlycreated Lords, Messrs Bl'artin and Buckley. In the House of Representatives some fifty members attended" All the members of the Ministry were present except the Premier, who was ill. His Excellency read the- following speech : — Hon. Legislative Councillors and Gentlemen of the House op Representatives, — It affords mo much ploasure again to have recourse to your advice and assistance, and I confidently anticipate that your deliberations will tend to promote the prosperity and good government of the Colony. Since the last session I have been uniformly received' by the Colonists with the utmost loyalty as the Queen's representative wherever I have been able to visit, and it has been with the greatest gratification that- I have observed the marked progress in material' prosperity which is everywhere taking place, and which testifies manifestly to tlie industry of the people of this country. I congratulate you on the fact that peaceful relations have at last been established vath the Waikato and Ngatimauiopoto tribes. Complying with the prcsslng and frequently received invitations of the leading chiefs of those tribes, the Premier and tho Native Minister visited thum on several occasions in their own districta, and met them also at tho Waitara. Papers on this subject will be laid bofore you — they will show that the long period of serious difficulties with the Native race may reasonably be considered to be approaching a termination. There is now a fair prospect that before long European enterprise and settlement will be welcomed by those great tribes, and that they will gladly avail themselves of the advantages which roads, railways, and telegraphs wiil bring to their magnificent territory, by which the value, and consequently the wealth and happiness of that portion, of the Native race so long estranged from us must be largely increased, in. consequence of the disposition thus recently manifested on the part of these Natives you will be asked to consider the question of extending the North Island Trunk Railway from Auckland to Taranaki. It is probable tha.t blocks of land of great value, will be acquired upon reasonable terms along the line. While negotiations with these tribes have not been neglected, many of the Native settlements have, during the recess, been visited by the Premier or tho Native Minister. Several long pending questions, out of which more or less. ill-feeling has arisen, bave been finally and satisfactorily settled. The question of the survey and settlement of the West Coast of this island has been firmly taken in hand. One large block has been surveyed and will shortly be opened for sale ; and tho immediate survey of the Waimate Plains has been ordered. Whilst the utmost consideration for the former Native owners will be shown in dealing with these lands, a large extent of valuable country will be available for sale and settlement. My advisers have found tho position of the Government Native land purchases to be very unsatisfactory, and out for the legislation of last session, which enabled the Government temporarily to protect lands under negotiation by the Crown, many blocks npon which large sums of public money have been spent would have passed into the hands of private speculators. This is a question with wliich you will bo called upon to deal, and information sufficient, it is hoped, to enable you to conserve the interests of the Colony in this respect will be afforded you. Measures for simplifying the procedure in investigations of title to Native lands, as well as their alienation, will be submitted to you. The principles of those measures have been discussed with many sections of the Native people, and it is believed that the effect of them will be to place upon an equal footing all the Queen's subjects who may desire to purchase Native lands. The threatening aspect of European affairs caused the Imperial Government to assemble in London 1 a committee of scientific officers to consider the question of colonial harbour defence. Those, officers made recommendations for the defence of the chief harbours of New Zealand, and the substance of those recommendations was telegraphed to me by the Secretary of State for the purpose of ascertaining whether the Colony would carry them out. On the advice of my Ministers I have replied that New Zealand accepts the duty, and the necessary armament will shortly arrive in the Colony. Papers on this subject will be submitted to you. Measures have been prepared and will be brought before you dealing with Electoral Reform, which it is hoped will tend to place the franchise and the method of electing members of the House of Representatives upon a satisfactory basis. Gentlemew of the House of Ref-ke-se'ntatjves, — ' The Estimates which will be laid before you have been prepared so as to promote economy and effective administration in the several departments. You will find that there is a large increase of revenue which indicates ' the prosperity of the Colony, and its- progress is rendered more certain by a marked extension of the export trade. The successful issue of the loan authorised last session is a further proof of the opinion entertained in other countries of >

* the stability of our financial position, and \, of the general prosperity and peace which' j t. prevail in New Zealand. Authority has i been given to the agents, under the Con- ' - solidated Stock Act to convert New Zealand securities of a miscellaneous character into long dated debentures bearing a uniform rate of interest. i Measures will be introduced to place k the taxation of the Colony on a move ' - equitable basis, apportioning the public 3 burdens according to the capacity to bear i them, and the tariff will be submitted to ) revision tending to relieve commerce of i some restrictions which retard its growth. 1 Hon. Legislative Councillors and Gen--1 TLEMI'N OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, — The Government have found that, inorder to carry out any real administrative reform, there must be au amalgamation of offices as well as a simplification in their T administration. This has been specially 3 felt necessary in the Department of Justice to effect a saving of departmental expo* i ditn re , and at th o sam o time to increase the efficiency of the administration of juatice._ A Bill extending the jurisdiction of j the inferior courts has been prepared and J will be laid before you. . My- Ministers havo endeavoured by this Bill to simplify tho proceedings in the local Courts. Steps r have also been taken to obtain a simplili--3 cation of the Supremo Court procedure, and the Government hope that the benefits obtained in other countries from amending the procedure of the higher Courts of Judicature will be secured for } this Colony. " A report will bo laid before you showing the effect, so far, of the Education Act I passed last session. Tho time that has elapsed since its passing has been too short to allow a fair estimate of its working to " be arrived at, but the Government do not i believe that any material amendments are at present expedient. The question of ' higher education deserves most careful J consideration, but, as a preliminary thereto, it is necessary that the mode of * working and the effects of existing insti " tntions should be ascertained. It is intended, therefore, to appoint a Boyal ,- Commission to inquiro into . and report upon the operations of the New Zealand University and its relation to the secondary schools of tlie Colony. The I report of this Commission will, if legislation be nesessary, enable Parliament to deal effectively with tho subject next session. ' Arrangements havo been entered into 3 with the Government of New South Wales " for modifications in the San Francisco mail service contract, and as to comii.g within the terms of the postal union. In conjunction with New South Wales the 1 Government havo also negotiated with . Colonel ( -lover, the representative of the . Eastern Extension, Australasia, and China | „ Telegraph Company for a duplication of I the cable from Port Darwin to London, and for a reduction of the tariff on the New Zealand cable. The present, state of : negotiations will bo shown by the papers that will be laid before you. * , The goldfields of the Colony aro still I .prosperous, and there can be no doubt that there are yet numerous svnd extensive '• auriferous deposits that only require, population and enterprise for their 1 development. You will, I have no doubt, join with ' me in the hope that the proposal to establish direct steam communication between ' New Zealand and tho United "Kingdom * may prove successful. ' The results of the gradual extension of the railway system have been such as to ■ justify the Colony in undertaking its largo j \ indebtedness for the prosecution of those publio works. It is gratifying to find the | District Railways Act of last session is j " being taken advantage of, and that the faith of the people of New Zealand in rail- ' way extension is being shown by many important lines in different parts of the Colony being undertaken by private and local enterprise. This spirit of solf- ' reliance my Ministers think should be fostered ; and you will be asked to make [ some slight amendments, with tho view of offering facilities which experience has , shown to be desirable. During tho recess various changes have ' been introduced into the management of the Public Works and Railways Departments — changes which I venture to hope may prove beneficial io the public service. I commend to your serious consideration the various measures and subjects that may bo brought before you for advice and action, and I pray that the spirit of Divine wisdom may so order your deliberations that peace and happiness may be promoted throughout the length and breadth of the Colony. A number of new members took the oath, some papers were laid on the table, and the usual preliminaries were gone through. The Hon. J. Sheehan obtained leave, after some discussion, to put through all its stages the Native Lands Act Bill, for amending the Native Lands Act, 1873. ; The object of the Bill, he explained, is to j compel an unwilling witness to give evidence regarding certain land purchases in which the Government are largely interested. After a few slight alterations the Bill passed through Committee. The same Bill having been similarly dealt with in Council and brought down to the other place, the House adjourned till 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday. TUESDAY, JULY 30. Several new members took their oaths and_ seats, and a number of notices of motion were given. The usual sessional committees were appointed with the exception of the Public Petitions Committee. _ The following Bills were read a first time: — A Bill to amend certain provisions in Acts relating to the Civil Service ; a < : Bill to amend the Mercantile Law Amend- '. ment Act, 1860 ; a Bill for the manage- '. ment of Trade Unions in the Colony — all '. introduced by the Hon. Mr Stout. j THE ADDRESS IN REPLY. ' j Mr S. George rose to move the Address * in Reply. The hon. gentleman went 1 through the address clause by clause, * commenting upon each in commendatory i terms, and asking the House and country i to re-echo the sentiments embodied in i that address. .As to the new Electoral i Bill, he hoped and believed it . was the 1 intention of the Government to extend i the franchise as far . as possible, and give '"t every man in the Colony a vote after a I certain term of residence, together with r J

improved registration. Ho considered it time that a certain tox should be placed upon the lands of the Colony, so that those who benefited by? the outlay of borrowed money should pay, aud thus equalise the burthen of taxation. He would ask them to. give their best attention to the promotion of direct steam com- : munication with Great Britain. He asked : the House to express its gratification at : the recent telegraphic arrangements made" ' with Australia. (Xhe hon. member was » received with" applause on rising and ' sitting down.) Mr Hobbs seconded the Address. In . referring to Native matters, the hon. gentleman said ho hoped an early opportunity would bo taken to devise some means to induce the Natives to exchange ( their tribal rights for Crown grants. He • paid a high compliment to the Premier '. and Native Minister for the bold and . successful way in v.diich they met and . dealt with the Native chiefs. He advocated the recognition of the power of , chiefs of tribes, and hoped, in dealing ' with Native land, that if mistakes were • -made, and the Natives' were dissatisfied, i they would have at least their own people ( to blame. Mo was in favour of Volun- . teers, provided officers properly qualified i and of general efficiency wero obtained. . He supported steam communication with home, though he hoped that at the same ' time they would not overlook the comt inorco of the islands in their neighbour- , hood in the Pacific. — (Applause.) Dr Wallis said he would comment on the Address asa candid and plain-spoken , friend. Last session he gave the present ■ occupants of the Government benches a 5 loyal support, and promised to continue . that support so long as they kept in the , path they had laid down for themselves ; } but he had come to the conclusion that j their practice did not square with the P principles they professed and preached [ when on the opposite side of the House. T When the present (Government acceded to <• ofiice last session by certain tactics, friends during tho excitement of the struggle . called it generalship, though many people \ outside called it artful and awful dodgery. b When Sir George Grey obtained office last \ year he choso to surround himself with 3 certain gentlemen in order to carry out j tho various reforms he had promised to . introduce, and yet none of these gentle- , men lacked in the same paddock. Ceri tainly some were thorough Radicals, but then others were something very different. > Indeed he was at a loss to account for the 5 Premier selecting such a composite Ca- , binet. What had these gentlemen beon r doing during the recess ? They had been [ told, "Oh, if our party get into offico we , shall do better than has been done. " But what did he find— that both were much , alike. There was great parallelism, but , no contrast — Caesar and Pompey were ■ very much alike, especially Caesar. What had become of the departments during the , recess. Why, the Education Justice, and • Public Works .departments had been al- , lowed to fall into a most unsatisfactory condition. Instead of re-organisiug and reforming these departments, Ministers fiew hither and thither all over the . Colony, and ho macle bold to say the peo- , pie of the Colony would be astonished at . ;,he cost of these voyagings of pleasure. At last the Hinemoa, .which had been so much begrudged to their predecessors, had become a Ministerial yacht. Where were tho many reforms they had pro- [ mised? Did anyone think they were likely to obtain it in the matter of finance ? ■ It appeared to him the best first step to , secure that would be a general reduction , of salaries of Ministers, but they dare not . do that. They promised reduction of taxation, but it was only to reduce in one direction and increase in another. It appeared to him that their financial reform really meant increasing the burthen of taxation, yet this was what they called ju&t and- equitable taxation. As to manhood suffrage, whicli the Premier so eloquently and presistently advocated, what had become of it 'i To go by the speeches of the members of the Cabinet, he found there were to be four different kinds of franchise, which appeared to him to be an adsurdity. He could not help thinking their main object was to retain their seats. He "hoped tlie Premier would return to his early, love and carry out the promises he .bad once made. Let him settle the Maori difficulty, introduce universal suffrage and representation on Hare's proportional system, and he would immortalise himself. . Mr Fox said he did not rise as an Opposition member, but as an independent one. It appeared to him. that certain clauses of the speech savoured of what ho called misappropriation and want of generosity. He alluded to the remarks which attributed to the Premier and Native Minister the satisfactory position into which Native affairs had been brought. There v/as no allusion to the celebrated man who had passed away, and to whom the real credit ivas due of gradually in- , ducing the good feering which had been 1 brought about between both races. The hon. member then proceeded to recount the rapine and murder perpetrated by Te Kooti, Tito Kowaru, and others, and other difficulties which surrounded the Colony when the late Sir Donald M'Lean undertook the delicate and dangerous task of pacification. Land that they then could not put a foot on with safety had since then been sold for L2O per acre. The address said that "at last peaceful relations have been established between the Waikato and Ngatimaniopoto tribes." But how long was it since they had any disturbance with these tribes'? Why, these tribes never interfered when they were hunting up Te Kooti. They might as well be asked for congratulations j that Noah's flood was ended. Altogether | the whole tone of the remarks on tliis point ivas misleading ; it was ignoring the results of the efforts of previous Ministers ' for years. He believed lie had good cause for saying that the recognition of tlie remnant of the Native race in Waikato did more to impede the prospect of our obtaining peaceable possession than anything' which had been done for many years. The hon. gentleman referred to negotiations which had taken 'place between- the Natives and the Premier, but as to the exact result of these negotiations the public ■ mind was in a state of obscurity on the matter. What importance could be attached to Native meetings? The most in- ; flueutial chiefs who had been identified '' with Native troubles in the past were not ' i present. . Manu whiri was not present, nor I ! Tawhiao, nor Te VV hiti, nor even William I 1

I King, the canso of nil the troubles- in the ■ past. "What I-tewi said just eighteen years j ago he asked at the Waitara. When asked I by the Premier what he wanted, Bcwi j said, "I want Waitara back." This so j stunned the Premier that he adjourned 1 the meeting till the next day. In the I meantime the Promior had a secret intcrj view with Uewi, of which no one knew j anything. What could be gleaned by the "(expression, "Waitara is ours, and tho matter will bo settled by us two 1" Mr Shcehan in the course of a forcible speech denied that Sir George had kept him in the back-ground. On the contrary, Sir George had taken his opinion on all matters of importance. Major Atkinson said the discussion on the speech was wasting time. Ho would reserve comment until ho saw the Government measures. The Address v/as agreed to, but it being midnight the Bouse postponed its presentation to the Governor until the following day and then adjourned.